Taking control of your life (or how to avoid becoming overwhelmed)

We all have to face difficult situations. Perhaps you or someone you know is under stress at school or work, there is so much to do , so little time. Maybe your commitments and responsibilities are bearing down on you as a crisis situation ( either health or death of a loved one, a robbery or an accident) has arisen.

Whatever is your particular situation, it makes you feel overwhelmed; out of control; whichever direction you turn, there are seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

If you are experiencing any such situation then I am letting you know that there is hope. Through a series I have created, you can walk over this mountain into a valley of calm and control. If you are not yet in the mountains then this can help you avoid or at least be prepared to deal with that route in your journey of life.

Having been through my own trauma, I understand what one needs to do in order to maintain sanity and to begin to cope with challenges in a meaningful way. To avoid being or becoming overwhelmed by stressors in your life; to be able to take the reins of your life into your hands after a testing period requires that you have a vision. You have to be able to see the larger picture, see your life five or ten years down the road; you must know where you want to head but … you have to be able to put it in perspective. Your big picture, your life goals have to be pushed into the recesses of your mind.

Now, this does not mean that you ignore your goals. No, you need to internalize them, know where you are heading, what you want, without having it constantly looming directly in front of you as a reminder of what you have not yet done. It must be dangled from afar as something to which you are aspiring so that you will be able to break it down into an action plan made up of many, smaller, less daunting, achievable tasks.

Take each day in stride and manage your time, emotions and stress level by focussing on daily tasks. Time constraints, heavy workloads and emotional burdens seem to have put you in a quagmire. It does not have to be a dead end situation. You can turn things around.

When my life was taken out of my hands, when control was whisked away from me, in the face of what seemed impossible to defeat, I was able to gradually regain control; to rid myself of that suffocating stress of too much to handle, too little time to heal.

I applied a very simple technique… I focused on each second; I lived minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. I did not try to jump from being dependent on tubes, medications, doctors and nurses to being independent once again. In that way my mind was allowed to process only a quanta of information at any one time. The enormity of the situation and the urgency of time were not emphasized.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by time and burdens, I strongly recommend starting your day at least fifteen minutes to half an hour earlier each day. Compel yourself to do it for three weeks, after which time it should become an ingrained part of your day. Use the time wisely: pray, meditate, exercise or do some work.

You may be thinking: it is easy to say this but how is it possible to do it when a crisis arises? How is it possible to avoid being engulfed by the burden of an illness, injury or other challenge? Will I ever be able to complete enough small tasks to see the light of my greater vision?

I can only say that it can be done. I will tell you more next time.Please let me know what you think and if there is anything you want me to address or any question you want answered feel free to let me know. In fact I look forward to hearing from you.